This article reports on a content analysis of research articles focusing on library services in distance education published between 1999 and 2009. The study identified 472 articles on the topic and analyzed the citations, abstracts, and indexing to determine major topics, issues, and trends discussed; methodologies used; and major journals…

This study investigated the use of a university library academic service to assist in research information seeking, and the role and value of the academic services in support of research from the viewpoints of both academic users and librarians. Ten Ph.D. students completed questionnaires followed by face-to-face discussions and four academic…

In recent decades the literature dealing with graduate students and library use, including bibliographic instruction, information-seeking behavior, and information literacy has grown. However, there still appears to be a lack of research and resources available on the information-seeking behavior skills of graduate education students, which can…

Based on the concept that library use measurement should have as its basic starting point the individual patron, a method of data collection and analysis has been developed that explores individual patterns of borrowing over time. The method accounts for the number of visits on which borrowing takes place, number of items borrowed per visit, and…

Discusses areas needing revision in the manual "Output Measures for Public Libraries," i.e., measurement objectives, research skills of output measures users, management versus research contexts, relating inputs to outputs, problems in data collection, user versus library performance, sample sizes, interpretation of output measure…

Argues that librarians need to be concerned with cost analysis of library functions and services because, in the allocation of resources, decision makers will favor library managers who demonstrate understanding of the relationships between costs and productive outputs. Factors that should be included in a reliable scheme for cost accounting are…

Several reference librarians respond to the Hernon and McClure study on the accuracy of library reference services. Highlights include problems with the methodology used (unobtrusive observation), and performance factors not addressed by the study. Comments by Hernon and McClure address these responses and ways to improve reference services are…

Results of survey of 44 academic libraries indicate that: foreign students have problems in using library; instruction for foreign students should be offered as separate program; type of instruction and degree of coordination between library and other areas on campus differs markedly. Program idea sources and 18 references are included. (EJS)

Fifty-five Association of Research Libraries member academic libraries were surveyed to determine trends in use of commercially available online numeric databases. Databases searched, searchers, users, publicity, library role in relation to numeric databases, and librarians' attitudes toward and knowledge of databases are examined. The…

The University of Florida Libraries took the opportunity of remodeling its Humanities and Social Sciences library to conceptualize the design of an info commons area for the new building. An Info Commons Concept Team was formed and charged with this task. The team used site visits, surveys, focus groups, and interviews to determine the needs of…

Reports results of survey investigating aspects of weeding of materials in reference collections at 377 U.S. colleges and universities: existence of written policy or unwritten weeding practice; extent of weeding; frequency; what happens to discards; effect of shelf space, staff time, and use of materials on weeding decisions. (5 references) (EJS)

This book offers advice and information to help librarians manage and interact with computer technology in their institutions. Chapters 1 and 2 provide a background in systems librarianship, outlining the skills that may be needed and defining the specialty. Chapters 3 and 4 show how traditional library skills such as the organization of knowledge…

This manual identifies a series of performance measurements which, when assessed in their totality, can effectively measure a public library's level of service to its users. The measures have been developed at two levels. On one level, the measures can broadly evaluate the overall performance of library systems on the national level; on a second,…

This report is the fifth biennial survey of statistical information on 116 Pacific Northwest academic libraries. After an introduction which explains the data collection process and identifies some possible trends in the data, data tables present information for each of the institutions surveyed according to institutional category: four-year…

Reports on study examining effect of high school media program audiovisual components on student attitudes and behaviors at 15 public high schools in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Discussion covers service areas, student attitudes and media center use, correlation between audiovisual-related services and student responses, and media center audiovisual…